FCGMA Overviewand

2010 List of Priorities/Initiatives

Presentation to AWA Water CommitteeMarch 16, 2010

Gerhardt HubnerDeputy Director Public Works

Ventura County Watershed Protection District/Fox Canyon GMA

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Seawater Intrusion –

Concerns about State Adjudication (circa 1981)

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Creation of the Fox Canyon Groundwater Management Agency (FCGMA) by the State

Legislature via AB-2995 (1982)

Now part of the State Water Code Appendix Chapter 121

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History – Creation of the FCGMA

• Overdrafted groundwater basins and seawater-intrusion affecting well quality.

Choices:

1. Let State fix things (adjudication)

2. Local self-control (form a GMA)

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History – Positive Local Actions• January 1, 1983 (FCGMA begins - formed via AB-2995)

• 1985-1989 - Establish Historical Allocations via Base Period average extractions

• 1985 - First Groundwater Management Plan (updated in 2007)

• 1991/1992- Credit System & Irrigation Efficiency Programs initiated

• 1992 - First 5% cutback in Historical Allocations (now at 20% of original Historical with one more 5% scheduled reduction left to go on 1-1-2010)

• Focus on– Over-pumping (resulted in an allocation system)– Metering (for accurate extraction measurements)– Well Registration (everyone participates)– Credits (acts as incentive/reward for not pumping wells)

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Authority through FCGMA Ordinances

• Ordinance Updates (pending)

• Emergency Ordinances A, B, C, & D

• Ordinance 8 (combined all former ordinances together into one document)

• Former Ordinances 1 through 7

• Various Resolutions (on specific topics)

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Basin Yield and Pumping

75,000

100,000

125,000

150,000

175,000

200,000

1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010

An

nu

al G

rou

nd

wat

er E

xtra

ctio

n (

AF

/yr)

BASIN YIELD c. 1985

BASIN YIELD - revised 2007

136,000 AF

5-6 The map above depicts water level surface elevation contours for the Lower Aquifer System area for Fall 2009.

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Different Types of Allocation

• Historical Allocation – for wells that pumped during the “base period” of 1985 through 1989.

• Baseline Allocation - only assigned to land for “new” water use, or for water needs developed after the “base period”.

• Irrigation Efficiency Allocation - an option available to farmers to allow for extraction in excess of historical allocation (gives flexibility for crop changes and increased water demands resulting from weather variations such as drought years).

Different Types of Credits• CONSERVATION CREDITS - earned by not pumping your well (i.e., the

difference between your reduced Historical allocation and actual extraction).

• INJECTION CREDITS - earned by injecting “foreign water” into the ground (i.e., imported or “new” water must be introduced into the system that was not there before).

• IN-LIEU CREDITS - previously earned conservation or injection credits that are given to Calleguas “In-Lieu” of purchasing imported water that replaces groundwater pumping (Note: participants must be pre-approved for the In-Lieu program by the FCGMA Board).

• SUPPLEMENTAL CREDITS – surface water diverted from Conejo Creek and used by PVCWD replaces groundwater pumping (conservation credits are earned by PVCWD but given to Calleguas MWD as owner of the surface water used, then sold to UWCD for use within their service area to shift extractions away from the pumping trough in the Pleasant Valley Basin)

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Daily Business Operations

1. Board Meetings – (normally 10 per year)

2. Stakeholder/Customer Service – (constant)

3. Semi-Annual Extraction Statements – (mailings, fee collection, data entry, etc.)

4. New Allocations or Transfers of Allocation - (accept or deny requests)

5. Database Management – (data entry, system upgrades, and reports; plus maintenance of current & legacy account information)

6. Website Maintenance – (upgrading and adding to existing pages)

7. Technical Analysis of Hydrology and proposed Development Projects

8. Irrigation Efficiency Forms Processing – (mailings, verification, data entry, and bill preparation as necessary)

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Evolution of the Agency

• Strategic Advisory Group (SAG) – (reports directly to Board of Directors)

• Technical Advisory Group (TAG) – (serves SAG as expert scientific arm)

• Groundwater Management Plan (GMP) - 2007 Plan Update (focused specified strategy implementation actions)

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Groundwater Management Plan Strategies

• Under

development

• 5-Year

• 10-Year

• 15-Year

• >15-Year

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2010 Priorities/Regional Initiatives

• Irrigation Efficiency Formula – Contract with Cal Poly SLO Researchers

• Separate Specific Groundwater Management Plans– Las Posas Basins– South Oxnard/Pleasant Valley Basin

• Ordinance Changes (Recently Code 8.2)

• Basin Boundaries

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Basin Boundaries

2010 Priorities/Regional Initiatives

Supply Projects• City of Oxnard GREAT Program

• Regional Desalters – County Waterworks, Calleguas MWD, Somis

• City of Ventura - Recycled Water Study

• Calleguas MWD Brine Line

• UWCD Ferro Pit Aquisition

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2010 Priorities/Regional Initiatives

Controlling Demand

• Extraction Limitations/Cap on IE

• Evaluation of Credits System

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2010 Priorities/Internal Initiatives

• Compliance – Unpaid Surcharges– Meter Calibration– Unregistered Wells

• Database upgrades– New Online Payment & Reporting Options

• LGAP Grant – – Automatic Meter Reading (AMR) Grant Trials

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Questions ?

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